Deadplate construction for a conveyor system

ABSTRACT

A conveyor system including a pair of conveyors located at right angles with respect to each other. An inclined deadplate is mounted adjacent the side edge of one conveyor and the high end of the deadplate abuts the side edge of the second conveyor. Guide rails are mounted above the conveyors and the articles to be conveyed are conveyed over the first conveyor across the deadplate and drop from the high edge of the deadplate onto the second conveyor.

United States Patent Risley et al.

[54] DEADPLATE CONSTRUCTION FOR A CONVEYOR SYSTEM [72] inventors: RobertF. Risley, Wauwatosa; Wayne A.

Smith, Shorewood, both of Wis.

Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

[22] Filed: May 27,1970

[2|] Appl.No.: 40,807

[73] Assignee:

[52] US. Cl ..198/28, 198/102 [51] Int. Cl ..B65g 47/04, B65g 47/57 [58]Field of Search 1.198/28, 22, 102, 7881 [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Frentzel ..198/28 McCarthy ..198/102 X Feb. 22, 1972Primary Examiner-Edward A. Sroka Att0rneyAndrus, Sceales, Starke &Sawall ABSTRACT A conveyor system including a pair of conveyors locatedat right angles with respect to each other. An inclined deadplate ismounted adjacent the side edge of one conveyor and the high end of thedeadplate abuts the side edge of the second conveyor. Guide rails aremounted above the conveyors and the articles to be conveyed are conveyedover the first conveyor across the deadplate and drop from the high edgeof the deadplate onto the second conveyor.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PMENFEDFEB 22 I872 SHEU 1 [1F 2 INVENTORSRober+ FRnslex Y Wayne A.Sm1+h ail/33 144 AHor-negs PMSQBJBI PNEWEBFEB22 m2 SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTORS Rober+ E Rlsleg yvdgne ASmrrh I AfiornegsDEADPLATE CONSTRUCTION FOR A CONVEYOR SYSTEM This invention relates to aconveying system and more particularly to a deadplate construction fortransferring articles from one conveyor to a second conveyor located atright angles with respect to the first conveyor.

In a conveying system, such as that employed in a brewery for conveyingcans or bottles, the articles travelling on one conveyor are frequentlytransferred to a second conveyor operating at 90 with respect to thefirst conveyor, and this side edge of the second conveyor abuts the endof the first conveyor. The conveyors are normally formed of an endlesslink belt composed of a series of interconnected metal links and as thelink belt of the first conveyor travels downwardly, around the sprocketat the end of its path of travel there is a gap between the end of thefirst conveyor and the side edge of the second conveyor. To span thisgap and enable the articles to pass smoothly from the first conveyor tothe second conveyor, a stationary deadplate is normally mounted in thegap and is positioned flush with both the first and second conveyors.

In the conventional conveying system, the setting of the deadplate isvery critical. As the link belt is formed of a number of generally flatinterconnected metal links, the ends of the links inscribe a largercircular path when moving around the sprocket at the end of the path oftravel of the chain than the midportions of the links. Thus, thedeadplate must be spaced from the arc of travel inscribed by the ends ofthe links and this provides a substantial gap between the deadplate andthe midportions of the links. To minimize this gap, the edge of thedeadplate is generally tapered and this sharp tapered edge, if notprecisely set, provides a projection which can be engaged by the cans,causing the cans to stumble or tilt. Moreover, the tapered edge of thedeadplate can be readily bent or deformed and in some cases, if bentdownwardly, the edge can hook into the conveyor links to jam the entiremechanism.

As a further disadvantage, broken glass or other particles often lodgewithin the gap between the edge of the deadplate and the conveyor links,also causing the mechanism to jam.

The present invention is directed to a conveyor system having animproved deadplate construction which overcomes the problems associatedwith prior art deadplates. In accordance with the invention, an inclineddeadplate is mounted adjacent the side edge of one conveyor and the highend of the deadplate abuts the side edge of the second conveyor which istravelling at 90 with respect to the first conveyor. Guide rails aremounted above the conveyors and serve to guide the articles from thefirst conveyor across the deadplate to the second conveyor. As thearticles move along the deadplate they are moved up the inclined surfaceand drop from the high end of the deadplate onto the second conveyor.

The conveying system of the invention utilizing the improved deadplateconstruction enables bottles or cans to be transferred at high speedfrom one conveyor to another and is particularly adaptable for use withbottles having a small diameter and a high center of gravity, such as 7oz. beer bottles.

Due to the fact that there is no tapered edge on the deadplate which canbe subjected to wear or damage, the deadplate can be used for extendedperiods of time without replacement. In the event it is necessary toreplace the deadplate, it can be readily removed and replaced withminimum downtime ofthe conveying system.

As the deadplate is positioned immediately adjacent the edges of bothconveyors, there is no gap between the dead plate and the conveyors andthis reduces the tendency for glass or other particles to become lodgedbetween the deadplate and the moving conveyor elements.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescriptions.

The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated ofcarryingout the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the conveyor system of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section showing the construction of the guiderails;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 1 andshowing a bottle being supported by the deadplate;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG.I; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 taken on line 66 of FIG. 1.

The drawings illustrate a conveying system for conveying articles I orpackages, such as cans, bottles, or the like. The conveying systemsconsists of a conveyor 2 and a conveyor 3 which is mounted at rightangles with respect to the conveyor 2. The conveyors are operated in thedirection of the arrows, as shown in FIG. 1, with the articles 1 beingconveyed from the conveyor 2 to the conveyor 3.

The conveyor 2 includes a structural frame 4 and an endless link belt 5is mounted for endless travel on the frame 4. The belt 5 is driven bysprocket 6, and sprocket 6 is secured to a transverse shaft 7 journaledwithin bearings 8 mounted in the side wall 9 of frame 4.

The endless belt is a conventional type being composed of a series ofinterconnected, generally flat, metal links 10 having knuckles or lugson their undersurface which engage the sprocket 6.

As best shown in FIG. 3 the side edges of the conveyor belt 5 aresupported on plastic wear strips 11 secured to the outwardly extendingflanges 12 on the side walls 9 offrame 4.

The conveyor 3 has a similar construction to that of-conveyor 2 andincludes a structural frame 13 with a link belt 14 mounted for movementin an endless path on the frame 13. As shown in FIG. 2, a portion of thesidewall 15 of the frame 13 is curved inwardly to accommodate thesprocket 6 of the conveyor 2, and a bracket 16 is mounted on the upperend of the wall 15 and carries a wear strip 17, similar to wear strip11. which supports the edge of the link belt conveyor 1.4.

The conveyors 2 and 3 are of conventional construction and can beconstructed in accordance with the conveyor shown in the copending U.S.Pat. application, Ser. No. 870,033, filed Oct. 28, 1969.

According to the invention, a stationary deadplate 18 is mountedadjacent the side edge of the conveyor 2 and is disposed at a slightangle of about 1 to 5 and preferably about 3 with respect to thehorizontal. To mount the deadplate on the conveyor, the upper flange ofa bracket 19 is secured to the underside of the deadplate and thecentral portion of the bracket is connected by bolts 20 to an insert 21'having a series of ridges which are received within complementarygrooves 22 in the sidewall 9 of the conveyor frame 4. The side edge ofdeadplate 18 is located immediately adjacent the side edge of wear strip11, as shown in FIG. 4, with a minimum clearance between the twomembers.

The deadplate, as previously noted, is slightly inclined with theportion of the deadplate vertically aligned with the bracket 19 beingsubstantially flush with the belt 5 while the left-hand portion of thedeadplate, as viewed in FIG. 2, is slightly below the level of theconveyor 5, while the right-hand portion of the deadplate, as viewed inFIG. 2, is slightly above the level of the belt 5 and the belt 14.

A pair ofguide rail assemblies 23 and 24 are mounted above the conveyors2 and 3 and serve to guide the bottles or cans 1 in travel. Each guiderail assembly 23 and 24 includes a pair of guide strips 25 which aresupported in recesses in uprights 26 and each upright, as shown in FIG.3, is mounted on a generally L-shaped bracket 27. The lower horizontalflange of the bracket 27 is connected by bolt 28 to the upper flange ofan arm 29 attached through an insert 21 to the sidewall 9 of theconveyor. Bolt 28 extends through a slot in the flange of bracket 27 andthe slotted connection provides a degree of lateral adjustment for theguide strips 25. In addition, by reversing the position of the L-shapedbrackets 27, a further degree of lateral adjustment of the guide strips25 can be obtained.

The guide strips 25 of the guide rail assemblies 23 and 24 are spacedapart a distance just slightly greater than the diameter of the bottlesor cans 1 being conveyed. As the bottles 1 move along the conveyor 2,the end portion of the deadplate 18, indicated by A, will be beneath thelevel of the link belt 5 so that the bottles 1 will not supported on theportion A ofthe deadplate. This is illustrated in FIG. 5. As the bottlesappreach the longitudinal center of the deadplate, as indicated by C,which is flush with the level of the belt 5, the bottles will then besupported on both the deadplate and the belt 5. As the bottles 1 arefurther advanced along the conveyor 2, the bottles will move along theend portion B of the deadplate which is at an elevation above the levelof the link belt 5. As the side edge of the deadplate is located lessthan one-halfthe distance between the guide rails 23 and 24, the bottleswill tend to tilt as illustrated in FIG. 6. Due to the spacing betweenthe guide rails 23 and 24 the bottom of the bottle 1 will not be engagedwith the conveyor belt 5, but will merely be supported on the edge Dofthe deadplate.

As the bottle advances to the high end of the deadplate 18, the corner Eof the deadplate will be approximately one-half the distance between theguide rails 23 and 24 so that when the bottle is above the corner E itwill be generally horizontal and supported solely by the deadplate. Withfurther movement of the bottle, the bottle will ride over the high endof the deadplate and onto the conveyor belt 14 ofthe conveyor 3.

The deadplate construction of the invention provides substantialadvantages in that the deadplate can be mounted in abutting relationwith the stationary wear strip on the conveyor so that there is nosubstantial gap between the deadplate and the conveyor into which glassor other foreign material can lodge to jam the mechanical system.

The conveying system is capable of transferring small diameter bottlesor cans having a relatively high center of gravity, such as 7 oz. beerbottles, at high speeds from one conveyor to the other without tippingof bottles.

As there are no sharp or tapered edges on the deadplate, potentialdamage to the deadplate is eliminated thereby resulting in lowermaintainence costs and less downtime for the conveying system.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claims which particularly point outand distinctly claim the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

1 claim:

1. In a conveying system, first conveyor means including a firstgenerally horizontal conveying member, second conveyor cum meansincluding a second generally horizontal conveying member disposed in acommon plane with said first conveying member, the side edge ofthesecond conveying member being disposed adjacent an end of said firstconveying member so that articles can be conveyed from said firstconveying member to said second conveying member, an inclined stationarydeadplate mounted adjacent the side edge of the first conveying memberand having an end disposed adjacent the second conveying member, saidend being at a level slightly above said second conveying member and aportion of said deadplate spaced from said end being disposed atsubstantially the same level as said first conveying member, and guidemeans mounted above said first and second conveying means for guidingthe articles from the first conveying member across the deadplate to thesecond conveying member.

2. In a conveying system, conveyor means including a first conveyingsurface, a second conveyor means including a second conveying surfacedisposed in a common horizontal plane with said first conveying surfaceand disposed at an angle with respect to said first conveying surfacewhereby articles can be transferred from said first conveying surface tosaid second conveying surface, an inclined stationary deadplate having afirst edge mounted adjacent the side edge of the first conveying surfaceand having a second edge mounted adjacent the side edge of said secondconveying surface, said second edge being disposed at a level above saidhorizontal plane and said first edge being inclined downwardly from saidsecond edge to a level beneath said horizontal plane. and

guide means disposed above said first and second conveying means forguiding articles from said first conveying surface across said deadplateto said second conveying surface.

3. The structure of claim 2, wherein said guide means includes a pair ofspaced guide rails with the spacing between said guide rails beingslightly greater than the width of the articles being conveyed.

4. The conveying system of claim 3, wherein said first edge and saidsecond edge are joined together at a corner and said corner is locatedsubstantially equidistant between said guide rails.

5. The structure of claim 3, wherein said first edge and said secondedge of said deadplate are located between the said first and secondguide rails.

6. The structure of claim 3, wherein a central portion of the length ofsaid first edge is at the level of said horizontal plane.

7. The conveying system of claim 2, wherein the deadplate is disposed atan angle of 1 to 5 to said horizontal plane.

1. In a conveying system, first conveyor means including a firstgenerally horizontal conveying member, second conveyor means including asecond generally Horizontal conveying member disposed in a common planewith said first conveying member, the side edge of the second conveyingmember being disposed adjacent an end of said first conveying member sothat articles can be conveyed from said first conveying member to saidsecond conveying member, an inclined stationary deadplate mountedadjacent the side edge of the first conveying member and having an enddisposed adjacent the second conveying member, said end being at a levelslightly above said second conveying member and a portion of saiddeadplate spaced from said end being disposed at substantially the samelevel as said first conveying member, and guide means mounted above saidfirst and second conveying means for guiding the articles from the firstconveying member across the deadplate to the second conveying member. 2.In a conveying system, conveyor means including a first conveyingsurface, a second conveyor means including a second conveying surfacedisposed in a common horizontal plane with said first conveying surfaceand disposed at an angle with respect to said first conveying surfacewhereby articles can be transferred from said first conveying surface tosaid second conveying surface, an inclined stationary deadplate having afirst edge mounted adjacent the side edge of the first conveying surfaceand having a second edge mounted adjacent the side edge of said secondconveying surface, said second edge being disposed at a level above saidhorizontal plane and said first edge being inclined downwardly from saidsecond edge to a level beneath said horizontal plane, and guide meansdisposed above said first and second conveying means for guidingarticles from said first conveying surface across said deadplate to saidsecond conveying surface.
 3. The structure of claim 2, wherein saidguide means includes a pair of spaced guide rails with the spacingbetween said guide rails being slightly greater than the width of thearticles being conveyed.
 4. The conveying system of claim 3, whereinsaid first edge and said second edge are joined together at a corner andsaid corner is located substantially equidistant between said guiderails.
 5. The structure of claim 3, wherein said first edge and saidsecond edge of said deadplate are located between the said first andsecond guide rails.
 6. The structure of claim 3, wherein a centralportion of the length of said first edge is at the level of saidhorizontal plane.
 7. The conveying system of claim 2, wherein thedeadplate is disposed at an angle of 1* to 5* to said horizontal plane.